Mechanism for stopping marine vessels.



F. C. WILLIAMS.

MECHANISM FOR STOPPING MARINE VESSELS.

APPLICATION FILED .IULY 20, I9l2.

Patented July 11, 1916.

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FRANK C. WILLIAMS, 0F PHILADELPHIA, PENNSYLVANIA.

MECHANISM FOR STOPPING MARINE VESSELS.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Judy 11, 19116.

Application led J'u1y 20, 1912. Serial N o. 710,546.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, FRANK C. VVILLIAMs, a citizen of the United States, and a resident of the city of Philadelphia, county of Philadelphia, State of Pennsylvania, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Mechanism for Stopping Marine Vessels, whereof the following is a specification, reference being had to the accom` panying drawing.

This invention particularly relates to devices which may be actuated by temperature changes to effect the stopping of propelling mechanism, and is especially applicable to the propelling mechanism of the ocean-going, motor-propelled marine vessels.

The principal objects of this invention are, to provide means to notify the oi'lioers of 'a vessel when in the proximity of icebergs, and to provide means to automatically effect the stopping of the propelling mechanism of steamships, or other motor-propelled vessels, when `in dangerous proximity to such icebergs.

Other objects of this invention, specifically stated, are to provide simple and eficient controlling means which normally tend to effect the stopping of the propelling mechanism of a marine vessel; to provide electrically-actuated means for retaining said controlling means inoperative; and to provide thermostatic means operative to deenergize said electrically-actuated means when the temperature falls to a predetermined degree.

^ This invention, briefly stated, includes a throttle-controlling "lever, pneumaticallyactuated mechanism for automatically actuating said lever, a valve for controlling the supply of air to said mechanism; means tending to open said valve; a magnet 1ncluding a normally closed electric circuit for retaining said valve closed; an electric alarm; and a thermostat, having means to effect the actuation of said alarm when the temperature falls to one predetermined d egree, and having means to short-circuit said normally closed electric circuit when the temperature falls to another predetermined degree.

This invention further includes all of the various novel features of construction and arrangement hereinafter more definitelyv specified.

ment of mechanism operative to effect the stopping of the propelling mechanism of a Steamship or other motor-propelled marine vessel in accordance with this invention.

ln said drawing, the controlling lever 1 may be connected by the link 2 to any suitable mechanism, such as a throttle valve (not shown). Said lever is pivoted at 3 to the bracket 4 and connected by the link 5 to the piston-rod 6 of the reciprocatory piston 7 in the cylinder S, which has the reliefport 9, and which is connected by the pipe l1 with the air reservoir 12. The lever 1 is provided with a slotted sector 14, having the slot 15 through which the pivot 16, connecting the link 5 with said lever 1, is free to slide, to afford a free movement of said lever, independently of the piston 7, for the convenient free control of the mechanism connected therewith, the movement of said piston 7, however, toward the left with rcspect to the ligure of the drawing, being operative to automatically shift the lever l in the direction of the arrow indicated thereon.

The pipe 11 is provided with a controlling valve 17, whose valve plug 18 is provided with a lever 19 having the weight 21 which is adjustably secured thereon by the setscrew 22, and which normally tends to shift the valve plug 18 to its open position. Said valve plug 18 is also provided with a lever 24 forming an armature for the magnet 25, which lis included in the circuit 26 normally closed through the battery 27 to hold the valve plug 18 in its closed position.

The battery 27 has its opposite terminals 28 and 29 connected by the respective wires 32 and 33 with the respective terminals 35 and '36 of a thermostat 87 of any well known construction. Said terminals 35 and 36 have wires 38 and 39 extending into the leg 46 0f the thermometer tube 42 of the thermostat at suitable points in said tube, pref- .i-,rably respectively at about the graduation 50 and the graduation 30, indicating the number of degrees of temperature registered by the mercury, or other suitable electrically conductive iuid 44 in the leg 46 of the thermometer tube 42,- the level 45 of the mercury 44 being raised in the leg 46 of the tube 42 by any drop in the surrounding temperature, and lowered by a corresponding ris in temperature.

It is desirable to audibly indicate to the` officers of the vessel the approach'of impending danger due to the pronimity of ices bergs, prior to the actuation of' the mechanism for stopping the propelling mechanism of said vessel. `Such a signal may preferably comprise an electrically-actuated indiofvsaid bell connected bythe wire 55' with the terminal 56 'of the thermostat 37 Said terminal 56 has the wire 57 extending into the tube 42 at a point substantially coincident with the graduation 40 on said thermostat.

It will'be'seenthat when the level 45 of the mercury 44 rises in theleg 46 of the tube 42 to the'graduation mark 40, the wires 38 and 57 will be bridged by said mercury to close the circuit, including the wires 38 and 32, battery 27, Wire 53, bell 51, wire V55 and wire 57. It will be here noted that the wires 26, 53 and 55 may be preferably of No.' 18

' gage, and that the wires 32 and 33 may be of No. 6 gage, so that the closing of the bell circuit, by reason of the resistance therein, Will not be effective to short-circuit the battery 27 and denergize'the magnet 25,` but that Vwhen the level 45 of the mercury 44 Vrises to the level of the graduation 30 and bridges the wires 38 and 39, it will shortcircuit the battery 27 and rob the circuit 26 of the current, whereby the magnet 25 will be denergized. The armature 24 thus released permits the valve 18 to be opened by the weight 21, to admit the air pressure 1n the reservoir 12 to enter the cylinder 8 through the pipe 11 behind the piston 7 and shift it in the direction indicated by the arrow in said cylinder, and thereby shift the controlling lever 1in the direction indicated by the arrow thereon, to effect the stopping of the motor mechanism to which it may be connected. I

While the mechanism herein described is arranged to be actuated by air pressure, it

' is to be understood that it may be as readily Y K. arranged to be actuated by vacuum.

The pressure in the reservoir 12 is automatically maintained at a predetermined standard bythe air compressor 59, which is connected through the checkvalves 61 and fpipe 62 with said'reservoir, and which has therpiston 63 provided with the piston-rod 64,which is'connected by the link 65 witl? the crank pin 66 on the Vwheel 67 of the motor 68. Themotor 68 is arranged to be automativ ca llyactuatedwhen the air in the reservoir 12 fallsbelovv a predetermined pressure, and

has one contact'terminal 69 connected by the Wire 71 through the generator or battery 72 With the terminal 73, electricallyconnected with the cylindricalportion74 projecting "above theyreservoir 1 2. The other contact terminal 75 of said motor is connected by block 79 on said cylindrical portion 74.

The motor circuit is closed when the contact plate 78 is engaged by the brush 81, which is carried by the piston-rod 82 of the piston 83, when the pressure inthe reservoir 12 falls to a degree determined by the spring 85 bearing against the piston 83 and tending to force it inopposition to the pressure in the reservoir 12. The engagement of the brush 81l with the contact plate 78 is effective to energize the motor 68, to effect the actuation of the air compressor 59, which is automatically stopped when the'pressure in said reservoir 12 is sufficient to raise the piston 83 and thereby raise the brush 8l from contact with the plate 78, to open the motor circuit.

' From the foregoing description it will be obvious that when a marine vessel, carrying mechanism as above described, approaches a, field of icebcrgs, the consequent drop in temperature, due to the presence of said icebergs, ,will cause the fluid in the leg 46 of the thermometer tube 42 to raise the level 45 of the mercury 44 upwardly in the leg 46 until it reaches the graduation 40 and bridges the wires 38 and 57, and thereby closes the circuit through the wire 55, bell 51, wire 53, battery 27 and wire 32, to actuate the bell 51 and audibly indicate to the oflicers of the vessel the impending danger. As the vessel proceeds into closer proximity to the icebergs, a further drop in the temperature will cause the level 45 of the mercury 44 to further rise in the leg 46 of the thermometer tube 42 to the graduation 30, and thereby bridge the wires 38 and 39 to close the circuit through the wire 33, battery 27 and wire 32, which wires being of slight resistance, readily short-circuit the battery 27 and rob the circuit, including the magnet 25, of sufiicient current to energizel saidl magnet, thereby releasing its armature 24 and permitting the valve 18 to automatically open, to establish'communication between the reservoir 12 and the-cylinder S,

which effects the movement of the piston 7 and lever 1 in the direction of the arrows indicated thereon, to shift the connecting rod 2 and thereby effect a closing or shutting off of the power propelling the vessel.

It is to be understood that although a fluid thermostat is herein shown and describedyin connection with means for automatically effecting a stopping of the vessels propelling mechanism, said thermostat may be of a different type, and the interposed connecting apparatus may be displaced by equivalent devices to effect the same result; therefore, it is not desired to limit this invention to the precise details of construction and arrangement herein set forth, as various modifications may be made therein Without departing from the essential features of the invention as defined in the appended claims.

Having thus described my invention, I claim:

1. Mechanism carried by marine vessels for controlling the propelling mechanism when in proximity to icebergs, comprising means to stop said propelling mechanism, a falve having means normally tending to open its ports to actuate said stopping means, means operative to hold said valve closed, and a thermostat having means connected to release said valve when the temperature falls to a predetermined degree.

2. Mechanism carried by marine vessels for controlling the propelling mechanism when in proximity to icebergs, comprising means for stopping said propelling mechanism, a valve having means normally tending to shift it to its open position for controlling said stopping means, electrical means operative to hold said ,valve closed, and a thermostat having means to denergize said electrical means, to release said valve when the temperature falls to a predetermined degree.

3. In an apparatus for a marine vessel with means to manually start and stop the propelling mechanism of said vessel, of means automatically actuated by the cool atmosphere of the vicinity of an iceberg to stop propelling mechanism, when operating, independent of said means to manually control said propelling mechanism.

f-l. Mechanism carried by marine vessels for controlling the propelling mechanism when in proximity to icebergs, comprising a cylinder having a piston connected with said propelling mechanism, and operative when shifted to stop said propelling mechanism, a pressure reservoir connected With said cylinder, an automatically-actuated valve tending to open the connection, and having means normally maintaining it in closed position, and a thermostat having means connected to release said valve upon a drop in temperature to a predetermined degree.

5. Mechanism carried by marine vessels for controlling the propelling mechanism when in proximity to icebergs, comprising a cylinder having a piston connected to stop said propelling mechanism When shifted, a pressure reservoir having a pipe connected with said cylinder behind said piston, a valve in said pipe having means normally tending to shift it to its open position, an electromagnet normally energized to maintain said valve in its closed position and included in a normally closed electric circuit, and a thermostat having means connected therewith to denergize said magnet and permit the automatic release of said valve.

G. Mechanism carried by marine vessels for controlling the propelling mechanism when in proximity to icebergs, comprising a cylinder, a piston in said'cylinder connected with said propelling mechanism, and effective when shifted to stop said propelling mechanism, a pressure reservoir, a pipe connecting said reservoir With said cylinder to effect the movement of said piston, a valve in said pipe having` means tending to shift it to its open position, a magnet arranged to normally hold said valve in its closed position, and included in a circuit having a battery, a thermostat having an electricallyconductive Huid therein', a bell circuit, including said battery, a normally open electric circuit connected to short-circuit said battery, and a plurality of contacts bridged by said electrically-conductive fluid, and connected to first close the bell circuit, and to then denergize said magnet by short-circuiting said battery.

7. Mechanism carried by a marine vessel for controlling the propelling mechanism of said vessel when in proximity to an iceberg, comprising means operated by the cool atmosphere in the vicinity of an iceberg and operatively connected to said propelling mechanism to stop said propelling mechanism when the temperature falls.

8. Mechanism carried by a marine vessel for controlling the propelling mechanism of said vessel When in proximity to an iceberg, comprising means operated by the cool atmosphere in the vicinity of an iceberg and operatively connected to 'said connecting mechanism to stop said propelling mechanism when the temperature falls and means operatively connected to said first mentioned means to sound a Warning before the temperature falls sufliciently to actuate said mechanism for stopping said propelling mechanism. v

In Witness whereof, l have hereunto set my hand this 19th day of July, A. D., 1912.

FRANK C. WILLAMS.

W'itnesses:

ALEXANDER PARK, CLIFTON C. HALLOWELL.

Copies of this patent may be obtained for five cents each,.by addressing the Commissioner of Patents,

Washington, D. C. e

It is. hereby certified that in Letters Patent No. 1,190,614, granted July 11, 1916, upon the application of Frank C. Williams, of Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, for an improvement in Mechanism for Stopping Marine Vessels, errors appear in the printed speeiieation requiring correction as follows: Page 2, line 32, claim 3, after the Word stop7 insert the Word said; saine page, line 99, Claim 8, for the Word Connecting read propelling; and that the said Letters Patent should he read With these corrections therein that the same may conform to the record of the case in the Patent Office. p

Signed and sealed this 1st day of August, A. D., 1916.

[SEAL] n. W. n. CLAY,

Acting Commissioner of Patents.

Corrections in LeersvPatent No. 1 ,190,614, 

